I'm trying to build a box on the cheap, and got an old gigabyte lga 775 mobo with an e8400 from a friend. My question is: is it viable for running today's modern games, or will i start to run into cpu limitations? I'm looking to play games like bf3, diablo3, guild wars 2, etc.

Yes it's still viable for gaming. It's on the lower end nowadays, but I would expect gaming performance to be similar to a mid-range AMD processor sold today. Those processors also overclocked very well, so if it feels a little slow just increase the frequency by 30%.

By the way, some of the more recent TR CPU reviews have comparisons to similar processors. You could look at these to find a more exact answer to your question.

It really depends on the game (CPU intensive games like Civilization benefit from a stronger CPU), but running on an older dual core myself, I've had no problems thanks to my 6970 2GB handling most of the heavy lifting in graphics intensive games.

Not in multithreaded games. I upgraded from an e8400 to an i5 750 after BFBC2 came out and it ran considerably better with a quad core. I don't think BF3 is as CPU intensive though so it really depends on which games you intend to play.

Sputnik7 wrote:I'm trying to build a box on the cheap, and got an old gigabyte lga 775 mobo with an e8400 from a friend. My question is: is it viable for running today's modern games, or will i start to run into cpu limitations? I'm looking to play games like bf3, diablo3, guild wars 2, etc.

From my experience, assuming you have a good GPU and are willing to play with possibly less than maximum settings, then diablo 3 & guild wars 2 shouldn't be too much of an issue. BF3 (especially multiplayer) and other CPU intensive games could present issues though. I'm rocking an overclocked e8400 myself (will turn 5 years old in February), so we are in a similar boat.

I am still rolling an E8400 also, no real issue running D3 and wow, although last year I upgraded from 4gig to 8 gigs of ram along with my upgrade to Win 7. As long as you have a decent video card it can help you get by until you can get something newer.

I swapped out the E8400 when multiplayer games started to stutter under the strain. 25-man WoW raids, hectic BF:BC2 maps, Heavy RTS situations like Supcom and SC2 vs multiple AI.

However, I moved the E8400 onto a friend who paired it up with a GTS450 and he says it's running things fine, though his definition of fine also included an X1800XT running Unreal(3)-engined games like Borderlands at 20fps so take that with a pinch of salt

According to Steam he's playing X-Com, Dishonored, Mafia II, Borderlands 2 and Arkham City and they all run acceptably on his 1080p screen, better than his console, he says.

Some people ask me why I have always enclosed my signature in spoiler tags; There is a good reason for that, but I can't elaborate without giving away the plot twist.

Well, it really depends on your standards and the games you play. If you're ok with slightly choppy frame rates then your CPU is fine. Personally I'm still using a Phenom II X3 720 paired with an HD5670 1GB from 2010. It's practically AMD's answer to the E8400. I'm still very happy with it, but that's because I'm not really into the latest games right now and instead just replay classic favorites from years gone by.

If people stick with you just because you have a Rolex on your wrist, you can bet losing them is as OK as losing an Invicta. And if they stick with you even if you only have an Invicta, losing them is as OK as losing a Rolex.